When I first heard that IRAC had been asked to approve a request by Maritime Electric to buy two diesel power plants. I was in shock. Where did this come from? It appears that our government has been asleep at the wheel.

The fact that today energy needs were not planned for 10 years ago shows gross incompetence and, as far as climate change and our grandchildren are concerned, criminal oversight.

The UK just announced that they now cover 47 per cent of their power needs from renewable energy (wind and solar). They have solar panels on top of parking lots and multi-storey parking lots. They have fields covered in solar panels while sheep and cattle graze underneath. Drive down the coast of Wales and see a continuous line of windmills miles out to sea.

I don’t know if any of these ideas are feasible for the Island. But surely there are a smart array of Islanders in government and in our educational institutions that could have (if asked) put a plan in place five or 10 years ago. That’s assuming that the government cares. The politicians of five years ago knew we were headed in this direction and left it to today’s politicians to deal with the backlash. (Four-year terms mean that to have a vision for the future, you may not get reelected and that’s on us.)

If through government dysfunction we are too late, let’s at lease think about small nuclear plants. Also does this mean that the government will not be building renewable energy sources in the future?

The real elephant in the room is Fortis, the owner of Maritime Electric. Is it them that prefer diesel? Fortis has solar farms all over the world. Maybe Fortis and two levels of government could build a solar farm somewhere in the interior of the Island.

Roger Greaves,
Charlottetown